Gathering in Porto, Portugal, socialists from across Europe have committed to fight for stronger social rights for citizens.
One year out from the European elections, the Party of European Socialists convened a PES Social Summit with Partido Socialista (PS) to analyse progress and set out the next steps for policies in areas such as employment, education, health, social security and workers’ rights.
During this mandate, the PES political family has delivered stronger rights for citizens through initiatives like the minimum wage and collective bargaining directive, the SURE instrument, the platform work directive and much more. In the next mandate, socialists pledge to go further.
Closing the PES Social Summit, PES President Stefan Löfven said:
“This is a matter of justice, of respect for every worker. Because being a worker cannot mean that you live in poverty, you wear yourself out, or have to be afraid of dying on your job. To the contrary, you should be able to live well, feel secure, have a job you want to go to, have the freedom and the power to shape your own life. We want to build a society that is just as good for the nanny as for the bank manager, for the truck driver as for the doctor.”
European socialists have led the drive for social rights in Europe. In 2017, as Prime Minister of Sweden, Stefan Löfven organised the Social Summit for fair jobs and growth in Gothenburg, Sweden, which proclaimed the European Pillar of Social Rights. In 2021, during the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU, Prime Minister António Costa built on this work, organising the highly successful Porto Social Summit where EU leaders agreed on the landmark Porto Declaration. Tomorrow, representatives of the Presidency of the Council of the EU, the European Commission, the European Parliament, social partners, and civil society will reaffirm the role of Social Europe at the Porto Social Forum.
PES President Stefan Löfven and Prime Minister of Portugal António Costa hosted the event which also featured European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit, Portuguese Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security Ana Mendes Godinho, Belgium Deputy Prime Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, Spanish Minister for Inclusion, Social Protection and Migration José Luis Escrivá, German State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs Rolf Schmachtenberg, Portuguese State Secretary of European Affairs Tiago Antunes, Finnish Minister for Employment Tuula Haatainen, Luxembourgish Minister for Social Security Claude Haagen, and Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and PES Executive Vice-President Francisco André.
PS Portugal delegation in the European Parliament Maria Manuel Leitão Marques, Chair of the PES Social Europe Network and S&D Coordinator for the European Parliament Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL), PvdA Netherlands MEP Agnes Jongerius, PS Portugal MEP João Albuquerque, PS Portugal MEP Isabel Carvalhais, S&D Group Vice-President and PS Portugal MEP Pedro Marques, and PSOE Spain MEP Estrella Durá Ferrandis also participated.
Leader of PvdA Netherlands Attje Kuiken, President of the European Committee of Regions (CoR) and Member of the Group of the Party of European Socialists (PES Group) in the CoR Vasco Cordeiro, PS Portugal MP Vera Braz, Mayor of Matosinhos Luísa Salgueiro, Head of the PS Portugal Regional Leader Porto Eduardo Vítor Rodrigues, Deputy Secretary General of PS Portugal João Torres, Young European Socialists (YES) Vice-President Evelyn Logghe, President of the European Economic and Social Committee Oliver Röpke and President of French association Territoires Zéro Chômeur de Longue Durée (TZCLD) and former MP Laurent Grandguillaume also took part.
The event can be rewatched on the PES YouTube channel. Photographs from the event are available on the PES Flickr.
